nicola949's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. 4 stars.
Although the plot may not have been that original (son forced to change schools and deny his feelings after father finds out he kissed a boy), it hit all the right buttons.
There are wonderful main characters. Erik, who is finally making a stand against his father, "You know Dad, if he wanted me back, I would crawl naked across shattered glass to get to him." and Tyce, who gives him a second chance.
Great secondary characters in the interfering (for all the right reasons) sister and supportive best friend.
Cute romantic gestures that add a touch of sweetness to the story such as and the special messages Erik and Tyce share. "I shook my head and stared at my phone for a few minutes before I punched in the four simple words. Alone they didn't mean much, but when I put them all together, they meant more to me than anything in the entire world. Always have, always will."
Emotional drama and dramatic events.
A happy ending "If you'd open your eyes you could see how much they love each other and no matter what you think, loving someone can't be wrong."
Although the plot may not have been that original (son forced to change schools and deny his feelings after father finds out he kissed a boy), it hit all the right buttons.
There are wonderful main characters. Erik, who is finally making a stand against his father, "You know Dad, if he wanted me back, I would crawl naked across shattered glass to get to him." and Tyce, who gives him a second chance.
Great secondary characters in the interfering (for all the right reasons) sister and supportive best friend.
Cute romantic gestures that add a touch of sweetness to the story such as
Spoiler
Keeping each other's numbers inside their skatesEmotional drama and dramatic events.
A happy ending "If you'd open your eyes you could see how much they love each other and no matter what you think, loving someone can't be wrong."
shile87's review
2.0
Might contain spoilers!
Oi! Its not the book its me! It took me 3 days to finish this book and it is less than 200 pages.
There are so many good reviews and i thought to give it a try well because it was hockey, but i ended up disappointed.
-The Mc's had a tiny bit of chemistry but i felt it was not well developed, after all they were apart for 5 years then they meet and its all about i love you always immediately, i need you and sex,no talking, no groveling, nothing at all.
- I love drama but the one in this book i felt was way OTP even for my soapy taste.
- At some point i felt uncomfortable the way almost everyone was hitting and slapping Erick left, right and center and he did nothing about it, just brushed it off and decided to take it out on the ice.
-Erick's sister was a bit annoying, she was everywhere it was like this was her book .
-The 180 degree turn Erick's Mother did at the end was unbelievable.
-Erick's Father..........
Overall it was just OK. That's all
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
I am not a huge hockey fan but I love to read about athletes. I mean really, who doesn’t? Even without knowing the game, I knew I could, and did, love this book. Erik Fox was blessed with some insane talent on the ice. He is part of the National Championship college hockey team and is badly wanted by the pros. The only problem is Erik has no control over his life anymore, and he has decided that he is completely done with that.
Once his senior season is over, he decides to take back control of his life, even if he has to give up everything he loves to get it. He dumps the girlfriend his father has chosen for him, right before he makes the ginormous mistake of marrying her to keep up appearances. He also makes a rather bold move and quits hockey. This is the most surprising thing for him to have done because he really does love the game. What he doesn’t like is the control his father has over him, and he won’t stand for it anymore.
Needless to say, his father is not happy about Erik’s choices. Erik is getting grief from just about everyone he knows, except for his sister and his roommates. He is surprised when his sister brings the past right back into the present for him by setting him up with his ex. Tyce was Erik’s best friend growing up. It was when they were teenagers that they realized they were much more than friends, and they fell in love. Of course, Erik’s father couldn’t let Erik ruin his future with Tyce, so he moved them away and wouldn’t let Erik have any contact with Tyce. Tyce felt abandoned and Erik was just lost.
It seems Erik’s sister has kept in touch with Tyce over the years, and Tyce hasn’t forgotten Erik any more than Erik forgot Tyce. Erik can’t believe it when Tyce gives him another chance, and they seem to fall right back into sync with one another—right up to the point Erik’s celebrity status on campus begins to cause problems for them. It seems that some people can’t accept the fact that their favorite hockey player is gay, and they start taking it out on all the people Erik cares about.
This is not only a love story featuring reunited childhood friends-turned-lovers but is also a story of self-acceptance and fighting for what you want. This was an angst filled story with many twists and turns that leaves these men fighting to keep themselves and the people they love safe and happy.
By the end of the book Erik and Tyce seem to have everything they could ever want, but I would love to see an update, or maybe even see Tyce’s roommate find a HEA of his own. So, if you like reading about athletes finding the freedom to love whom they choose, with some absolutely fabulous supporting characters thrown in, then this would be a great place to start.
Once his senior season is over, he decides to take back control of his life, even if he has to give up everything he loves to get it. He dumps the girlfriend his father has chosen for him, right before he makes the ginormous mistake of marrying her to keep up appearances. He also makes a rather bold move and quits hockey. This is the most surprising thing for him to have done because he really does love the game. What he doesn’t like is the control his father has over him, and he won’t stand for it anymore.
Needless to say, his father is not happy about Erik’s choices. Erik is getting grief from just about everyone he knows, except for his sister and his roommates. He is surprised when his sister brings the past right back into the present for him by setting him up with his ex. Tyce was Erik’s best friend growing up. It was when they were teenagers that they realized they were much more than friends, and they fell in love. Of course, Erik’s father couldn’t let Erik ruin his future with Tyce, so he moved them away and wouldn’t let Erik have any contact with Tyce. Tyce felt abandoned and Erik was just lost.
It seems Erik’s sister has kept in touch with Tyce over the years, and Tyce hasn’t forgotten Erik any more than Erik forgot Tyce. Erik can’t believe it when Tyce gives him another chance, and they seem to fall right back into sync with one another—right up to the point Erik’s celebrity status on campus begins to cause problems for them. It seems that some people can’t accept the fact that their favorite hockey player is gay, and they start taking it out on all the people Erik cares about.
This is not only a love story featuring reunited childhood friends-turned-lovers but is also a story of self-acceptance and fighting for what you want. This was an angst filled story with many twists and turns that leaves these men fighting to keep themselves and the people they love safe and happy.
By the end of the book Erik and Tyce seem to have everything they could ever want, but I would love to see an update, or maybe even see Tyce’s roommate find a HEA of his own. So, if you like reading about athletes finding the freedom to love whom they choose, with some absolutely fabulous supporting characters thrown in, then this would be a great place to start.
atheresa's review
2.0
Started out great but the story quickly became eye rolling ultra dramatic. Eric was quite naive and acted such. The constant gay bashing by everyone, including Erik's father, was over the top. The fact that the police were not involved when Eric was hospitalized was totally unrealistic. Eric's mother did a 180 flip which broke character. And the unforgivable for a romance book - both Erik and Tyce's relationship and their sex scenes were not developed very well. This book felt too YA for two 22 year old college guys.
cadiva's review
4.0
This book is brutal in depicting how dangerous it can be to love someone of the same sex, to love someone that elements of society say is not okay to love.
But it's also a brilliant depiction of how love can triumph and ultimately is a story of two young men who find each other again and overcome all obstacles to stay together.
But it's also a brilliant depiction of how love can triumph and ultimately is a story of two young men who find each other again and overcome all obstacles to stay together.
relly's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
I liked, but it didn't really blow me away.
I liked both Erik and Tyce together and I also really liked their secret messages to each other
I liked, but it didn't really blow me away.
I liked both Erik and Tyce together and I also really liked their secret messages to each other
acesarrows's review
1.0
I like a good angst in my books, but this was over the top drama llama ridiculousness.
Just stop. Stop. Everyone needs to take their drama down a notch.
Did I read a different book from everyone else and all these 4 star reviews?
The entire book is from Erik’s point of view, and we know nothing about Tyce. The obsession with Erik that the rest of the world/campus seems to have is based on what reality?
The constant everyone is getting the shit kicked out of them, and then “I’m fine!” is strange. And poor Erik, getting the shit kicked out of him even more - by everyone. He was a teenager when all this started, and yet everyone is blaming him? What the hell?
Erik is an idiot.
Every Single Secondary Character Is Annoying. Do not get me started on Erik’s sister (if she’s already graduated, why is she always on campus? Does she have a job? Why is she always around? Why is she so annoying? Ugh.).
The writing was atrocious. Everyone was shouting. All. The. Time. Use a synonym dammit! There are 98 instances of the word “shout” in this 258 page book. That is one use of the word shout every 2.6 pages. “BUY A THESAURUS” she shouted in anger.
This is all unfortunate, because there’s an actual good story buried in this somewhere. It just needs to be entirely rewritten.
Just stop. Stop. Everyone needs to take their drama down a notch.
Did I read a different book from everyone else and all these 4 star reviews?
The entire book is from Erik’s point of view, and we know nothing about Tyce. The obsession with Erik that the rest of the world/campus seems to have is based on what reality?
The constant everyone is getting the shit kicked out of them, and then “I’m fine!” is strange. And poor Erik, getting the shit kicked out of him even more - by everyone. He was a teenager when all this started, and yet everyone is blaming him? What the hell?
Erik is an idiot.
Every Single Secondary Character Is Annoying. Do not get me started on Erik’s sister (if she’s already graduated, why is she always on campus? Does she have a job? Why is she always around? Why is she so annoying? Ugh.).
The writing was atrocious. Everyone was shouting. All. The. Time. Use a synonym dammit! There are 98 instances of the word “shout” in this 258 page book. That is one use of the word shout every 2.6 pages. “BUY A THESAURUS” she shouted in anger.
This is all unfortunate, because there’s an actual good story buried in this somewhere. It just needs to be entirely rewritten.
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